1: The year was 161 AD. Marcus Aurelius‘s adoptive father, Antoninus Pius, died, and Marcus was named Emperor of Rome, a position only fifteen people had ever held.
What was his first action as Emperor?
One hundred eighty-two years earlier, when Augustus became Emperor, he was advised to “get rid of young Caesarion, the son of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra,” Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman write in … continue reading
1: “The noise and distractions are relentless,” Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy write in The Gap and The Gain: The High Achiever’s Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Success.
It’s easy to lose our internal compass.
The prevalence of social media means we are constantly comparing ourselves with everyone else.
“No wonder the more time we spend on social media, the less self-esteem we’ll have and the more depressed we’ll … continue reading
1: Success is like a nightclub, Alex Banayan writes in his book, The Third Door.Â
“There’s the First Door: the main entrance, where 99 percent of people wait in line, hoping to get in,” he observes.
Then, there is the Second Door, “the VIP entrance, where the billionaires and celebrities slip through.”
Finally, there is the Third Door, which most people know nothing about.
“It’s the entrance,” Alex writes, … continue reading
1: The date was July 10, 1989. United Airlines flight 232 took off from Denver headed for Chicago.
There were 285 passengers on board.
It was a gorgeous day, sunny and mild. There were light winds out of the west at thirteen miles per hour.
“For the first hour and ten minutes of the trip, everything went perfectly. Over Iowa, the crew, consisting of Captain Al Haynes, first officer … continue reading
1: While playing college soccer in the 1980s, Kim Butler learned something that changed her life.Â
“Given that Principia College was a small college, and that women’s college soccer was a fairly new concept, the team was made up of several girls who had never even played soccer before,” Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy write in The Gap and The Gain: The High Achiever’s Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Success… continue reading
1: The San Antonio Spurs are the most successful team in American sports in the past 25 years, Daniel Coyle writes in The Culture Code.
They’ve won “five championships and a higher percentage of games than the New England Patriots, the St. Louis Cardinals, or any other storied franchise,” he notes.
When asked what was the greatest moment of team cohesion, Spurs players and coaches all agree on one … continue reading
1: Chris Voss has recently joined the FBI’s New York office, he writes in his book Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended On It.
“I want to be a hostage negotiator,” Chris told Amy Bonderow, who ran the FBI’s Crisis Negotiation Team in New York.
“Everyone does—got any training?” she asked.
“No,” Chris said.
“Any credentials?”
“Nope,” he answered.
“Any experience?” she asked.
“No,” … continue reading
1: Author Steven Kotler thought bravery meant not being afraid.Â
“I thought that was how ‘men’ were supposed to feel, or, more specifically, not to feel,” he writes in The Art of the Impossible.
The two words that changed his entire relationship with fear?
“You, too,” spoken by big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton.
Laird was showing Steven how to jump a jet ski off big waves. He promised Steven … continue reading
1: “Never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before,” former Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel once said.
This week we are exploring some of the lessons I learned from my friend, mentor, and coach, Dr. Danny Friedland, who passed away 18 months ago after a year-long battle with brain cancer. … continue reading
1: DO THE HARD THING reads the sign above author Steven Kotler‘s desk.
Yes, the phrase is “a great reminder to attack life’s challenges,” but that’s not the point, he writes in The Art of the Impossible.
Its “real function is much smaller: It’s to remind me to do one extra item on my to-do list before I take my first break,” he writes.
“If my day’s first … continue reading
